NHTSA Complaint #10566186 — 2009 FORD ESCAPE

STARTED VEHICLE THIS MORNING AND DROVE ABOUT 1 MILE TO LOCAL STORE. THE STEERING WAS VERY DIFFICULT INDICATING A LACK OF POWER STEERING. AFTER SHOPPING AT STORE, I DROVE ABOUT .25 MILES TO A BANK. AGAIN THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING. AFTER THE BANK, I DROVE 25 MILES TO WORK (WITH POWER STEERING) AND THEN ANOTHER 25 MILES HOME IN THE EVENING. WHEN I STARTED THE DRIVE HOME, I HAD NO POWER STEERING. AFTER TALKING TO MY FORD DEALER EARLIER IN THE DAY AND AFTER READING CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB OF THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOM, I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT. THIS TIME I HAD POWER STEERING. APPARENTLY THERE IS A SWITCH IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT ACTIVATES THE ELECTRICAL (?) POWER STEERING PUMP. THIS SWITCH CAN BECOME INTERMITTENT CAUSING THE POWER STEERING TO FAIL. REPORTED REPAIR COST IS $1400 BECAUSE OF DIFFICULT ACCESS TO SAID SWITCH. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A VERY DISCONCERTING PROBLEM WITH HUGE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS. WEB REPORTS TELL OF LOSING POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE CAN STILL BE STEERED BUT ONLY WITH GREAT EFFORT. SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN FLAW. IT IS HARDLY FAIL-SAFE. *TR